Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League Rules and Bylaws

Transcription

1 Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League 2017 Rules and Bylaws `

2 Mission Statement The APDFL is dedicated to being a developmental program for our players. It is our mission to help all members of our league with the appropriate talent, advance to the next level by promoting our players so they can reach their respected goals. Whether they are players out of high school still wishing to reach a strong collegiate program, or a past college athlete trying to reach the professional levels, it is our goal to help them get there by working with scouting departments to give them their deserved opportunity.

3 All League Members (Owners, Coaches & Players) Agree to the Bylaws, Rules and Regulations of the APDFL 1. All teams are required to pay the league membership fee of $500 ($400 for returning teams) NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 16, Teams wishing to partake in the payment installment will be required to pay a total of $600 (set up via no later than December 3, Teams will not be added to the official 2017 APDFL schedule without being in full compliance. 2. All active players are required to registrar with the league and obtain an official APDFL Player Association card. All players will be REQUIRED to registrar with the league via the league website at All league members understand and agree that they are required to have their league wide identification card on their person at all times during any and all APDFL events. Without a player association card, players are not eligible to participate in any APDFL activities and therefore are not allowed to be on team sideline. Players not presenting a player identification card will be considered a fan for said game. 3. The APDFL spring season will kick-off with the Commissioners Kick-Off Classic to be held on February 25, This event will consist of two (2) games being played at one location and will be considered opening weekend of the 2017 season. The APDFL season is expected to end with the Presidential Championship Cup V being held on June 24, Due to the direction and requirements posed upon the APDFL, each organization can have no more than 65 players on their active roster and a minimum of 20 players are required. An initial roster must be turned into the league no later than Friday, February 10, 2017 and must be kept updated and active by each organization as deemed necessary. This can be done via the team website or via communication with the league via phone, or text message. A final and active roster must be submitted to the league no later than Friday April 1, 2017 (this is the Friday evening of week 6). 5. No member will be allowed access to the playing field at any time without presenting an APDFL identification card, press badge, staff card or is not considered to be security and/or medical personal. Therefore, players will not be allowed to participate in game activities if they are not in possession of their player Identification card and must not be on the sideline. Each individual team is solely responsible for having non APDFL essential personal and/or identified team members on their sideline. Any team violating this rule will be subjected to a $50 fine per occurrence. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE GRANTED!!

4 6. Photos for player identification cards are to be taken with the player wearing a collared shirt and tie or team issued polo. All members from said team should have their photos taken in similar color shirt and tie or polo. No member will receive an association card without being in proper attire. The APDFL will exhaust all avenues to ensure that a league representative is present to take team photos where necessary. 7. No player may play for any other league team once signing a member commitment without first getting a release from a team representative and being approved by the league. A formal request in writing must be given by the present team, the player in question and the receiving team to put said transaction into motion. If the receiving team is not TRADING a player of equal magnitude, then a trading fee of $100 will be required to the team releasing the player. Team representative must be listed on file with the league office. Any organization playing a player without a valid release and/or approval from the league will forfeit all games in which the ineligible player participated. Players should not be allowed to participate without presenting their APDFL identification card which is team specific. PLAYER COMMITMENTS ARE ACTIVE FOR ONE FOOTBALL SEASON. 8. No league member is allowed to switch teams after week 4, March 17, 2017, of the season. All league players are required to play in a minimum of four (4) regular season games to be eligible to play in the post season without prior approval. 9. Active rosters should be viewable by accessing each teams web page no later than Friday prior to each game. Each teams web page, and therefore active roster, can be accessed via the league website at or by going directly to that teams specific site. Any player not on said roster should not be allowed to participate in that week s game without prior permission from the league office. Any player playing in said game will be deemed an illegal player and that game will be considered a forfeit. Each player and/or coach will be REQUIRED to have their player association card on them and should be able to present their card when required at each game. Player association cards are to be checked just prior to kickoff for each game. The head coach of each team, in conjunction with an official, should visualize the opposing team s player association cards one at a time to ensure that all personal are in compliance. 10. All players must be present prior to kickoff and must display their player association card to participate in the first half of any APDFL sanctioned game. Any player arriving AFTER the visualization of association cards will not be deemed eligible until the 3 rd quarter of said game. Player must first, at the end of the half but prior to the 2 nd half kickoff, present his association card to the head official and the opposing head coach to be considered eligible. 10a. Teams will be granted the opportunity to allow a player to participate after the presentation of player association cards by utilizing a team time out.

5 11. All league members will conduct themselves in a proper and professional manner both on and off the field. League members understand and accept that they are ambassadors of the APDFL and their actions are a reflection on our league. All league members must carry themselves in a professional and orderly manner in the world of Social Media just as they are expected to in their daily lives. Any league member that is charged with a felony during the course of the season will be suspended and deemed ineligible until further notice. 12. Any league member caught with a firearm at any APDFL function, game or event, will be terminated from the league and turned over to the proper authorities. Weapons of any sort are not allowed at any APDFL event. This includes players, coaches, staff and spectators. The only personal permitted to carry firearms are those being given permission during the course of their occupation (ie., law enforcement). The Board of Directors suggests that each organization displays a sign of some sort stating that weapons are NOT permitted. 13. Fighting will not be tolerated from any league member. Any player, coach, owner or sideline participant causing a fight or instigating a fight will be suspended from league play for the remainder of the game as well as the following game and will not be permitted to remain on the sideline. Any player, coach, owner or sideline participant retaliating will be suspended for the remainder of the game and will not be permitted to remain on the sideline. Any player, coach, owner or sideline participant leaving the sideline and entering the field of play during a fight without the intent of de-escalating the fight will be suspended for the remainder of the game as well as the following game and will not be permitted to remain on the sideline. (Coaches, managers and team owners that are NOT also players are the only individuals that are permitted to leave the sideline to break up an altercation). Any player, coach, owner or sideline participant engaging in any of the above behavior will be subjected to a fine of $500 and said team will be subjected to a fine of $300. Said team and/or player will not be eligible to participate in any APDFL events until said fine has been paid. More than two such offenses will be grounds for removal from participation within the APDFL. An appeal process is available to all member teams. If a player would like to appeal a suspension they must do so through their active team which should then submit the appeal for them. At that time the Board of Directors, in conjunction with said team, owner/representative and said player will come to a ruling which will, at that time, be final. 14. Any player receiving in excess of 1 (one) personal foul will be ejected from the game. Any player receiving 2 (two) dead ball personal fouls (personal foul after the whistle) will be ejected from the game, suspended from the following game and subjected to a $50 fine. All suspended players will be posted on the league website.

6 15. It is the intent of the league and its members, to eliminate swearing and obscenities by any player, coach, owner or field personnel during all APDFL scheduled events. Any league member violating this rule excessively may be removed from the APDFL scheduled event. 16. Consumption of alcohol and/or illegal substances will not be tolerated. Any league member consuming alcohol and/or illegal substances on the premises will be removed from the playing field and suspended from the league. In the case of illegal substances, the proper authorities will be notified and further sanctions may be imposed. Alcohol will only be allowed at venues in which have license to sell alcoholic beverages. 17. All league members agree that all uniforms must be of identical nature, color and style. Players will not be permitted to play without matching helmet, jersey and pants. All organizations must indicate their teams home and away colors prior to February 10, All teams are strongly ENCOURAGED to ensure they have 2 (two) jerseys, 1 (one) home and 1 (one) away. Any team not having 1 (one) home and 1 (one) away jersey should ensure that their sole jersey is of a distinct color. Any team allowing players to participate out of uniform will be subjected to $100 fine per occurrence. 17a. All teams wishing to order custom uniforms are strongly encouraged to order the maximum (65) allowed to suit additional players if they should come prior to the cut-off date. Custom uniforms should also be ordered no later than January 1, 2016 to ensure a prompt delivery by February 25, Teams going the custom route will be responsible for their players being uniformly dressed. 18. NCAA rules will be used for all games. All league organizations and their respective representatives will be provided with an NCAA 2013 & 2014 Rules and Interpretations Manual provided to the APDFL from the National Collegiate Athletic Association upon their request via electronic mail in.pdf format. 19. When a team is trailing by 35 points, the Head Referee may implement a running clock with the approval of the loosing team. This rule can be implemented at any point in the contest and once implemented cannot be changed. The clock will continue to run and will only stop at this point for an injury time out. Team administered timeouts will not be allowed. 19a. When a team is trailing by 45 points, the above Mercy Rule will automatically be put into effect and will remain in effect for the duration of the game. 20. Officials must be utilized for all games. Any organization providing a home game without officials will automatically forfeit that home game. There is to be a minimum of five (5) on field officials per contest.

7 21. The home team in each contest is responsible for incurring all obligations & responsibilities. The home team is to provide a group of three (3) people that are capable of maintaining the yard markers all of which must be properly identified. The only exception is where teams have agreed to play on a neutral field where both teams will then split all costs. The home team is required to contact the visiting team no later than Tuesday evening of the week of the scheduled game to inform them of all accommodations. Any game cancellations after Tuesday evening of the official game week will be considered forfeits if unable to find a replacement game. The home team will be required to ensure that player association cards are properly checked prior to the start of all games. Failure to check player association cards PRIOR to each game will resort in a forfeit for the home team. 22. Due to the direction and requirements posed on the APDFL, each member organization will be required to film each game. Each team is REQUIRED to film each and every game both home and away. Teams are encouraged to log onto our partner site at: and access their team account. All teams will be required to submit film NO LATER THAN 12pm on Tuesday following the game. Any team opting out of this partnership will still be required to submit their film to the league by the required deadline. Film will be utilized for several different reasons and therefore simple highlights are not significant. Each week one game will be considered Game of The Week and will be displayed on the APDFL Network. With this in mind, each team needs to record home games in their entirety. Hudl is a HUGE benefit to all teams, coaches and players. Playbooks can be created, highlights made, statistics maintained and relationships with upper level organizations developed. Games will be reviewed by the league Commissioner and/or the Director of Player Development on a weekly basis. Appropriate film will be distributed to colleges, scouts, recruiters and professional level teams as deemed necessary. If game film is NOT posted by noon on Tuesday following the game, said team will be subjected to a fine of $ All teams must ensure that they are playing on a league certified playable field. All APDFL game fields should be lined appropriately in accordance with NCAA rules (or high school rules where necessary). Appropriate measurements for a field considered appropriate include: 365ft or 120yds long (including end zones), 165ft or 53 1/3yds wide, field should be free of all debris and contain no pot holes. All teams should exhaust all avenues to ensure that their home field has a visible clock. Any team not having an operable clock must have their home field cleared with the league prior to use. All teams hosting post season games must have an operable clock to do so. All teams must ensure that their playing field is a safe distance from their fans and is marked appropriately. 24. ALL paper work must be submitted to the league office prior to the trade deadline of week 4 March 17, The only exception to this rule is that of the Insurance waiver/verification form which is to be submitted NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 10, 2017 or prior for all active players. As additional players are signed, additional waivers/verification forms can be submitted. All player commitment forms must be submitted to the league within 10 days of signing for league signature and approval.

8 24a. All teams participating in areas with multiple APDFL teams are encouraged to submit player commitment forms as early as possible. The official commitment of a player becomes active upon the arrival of the player commitment form in the league office. 25. No regular season game may take place prior to 3:00PM local time. Any team wishing to start a regular season game prior to 3:00PM local time must have approval from the league as well as the visiting team prior to scheduling. No post season game may take place prior to 5:00PM local time. 26. Each league organization should submit in writing to the league the address of their home field. Organizations with multiple home fields or not having a home field should submit to the league in writing either (A) their primary home field location or (B) a request to participate without a home field. League organizations are required to permit access to their home field for the visiting team approximately 2 hours prior to kick-off. Home teams should also provide the visiting team, at a minimum, with a source to obtain water for their players. 27. League standings will be determined by the winning percentage of all teams in the league. In the event of a tie, the following criteria will be used to break a tie: (1) Head to head competition (2) Division Record (3) Home Record (4) Away Record (5) Points For (6) Points Against (7) Season Rankings 28. As it is the intent to reward teams for their hard work throughout the regular season come playoffs with home field advantage, visiting teams will be required to pay 50% of the cost of officials ONLY for playoff games. All other expenses (ie, field, accommodations, concessions, etc.) are to be paid by the home team. 29. Under no circumstances will there be any changes done to the final schedule by any team unless it has been approved and changed by the league. The APDFL will exhaust all avenues to ensure that the final game schedule will be submitted no later than December 9, Official schedule is to remain in use throughout the entirety of the 2017 spring season. Any proposals for a schedule change needs to be made in writing directly to the Commissioner and is deemed NOT approved until otherwise stated.

9 30. Any team wishing to protest a game, event and/or situation must, themselves, provide video and/or photographic footage of the protested event. All protest and video documentation must be received by 12PM on Monday following the protested event. Protests will not be accepted without video and/or photo evidence. Any team wishing to protest an opposing teams playing field must contact their specific regional director, league director and/or league commissioner prior to the start of said game. 31. All teams will be provided with two (2) league official footballs. League footballs must be used for all sanctioned APDFL events. 32. No team will be permitted to play in two or more leagues simultaneously. Any team found doing so will be immediately removed from the APDFL and all of its league documentation, websites, etc. and will forfeit all standings and payments. Said teams will not be allowed re-entrance to the APDFL or any of its subsidiaries. No player should be allowed to play on two teams at any time. This includes teams both within the APDFL and outside of the APDFL. Players found playing for two teams at the same time will be officially removed from their respective team and placed on the list of league wide suspended players for a minimum of two games. Said player will also receive a fine of $ All owners, coaches, players and staff members must have acknowledged and signed the APDFL check-list indicating they have read and understand the following: active player commitment, official APDFL identification card (team specific), media release, insurance waiver/verification, league rules and bylaws and all other pertinent paperwork, and must have an APDFL identification card. Players that are in NONactive statues are ineligible to play. Any team allowing a non-active player to participate in any game will forfeit said game. 34. Each league organization will be allowed (5) sideline personnel (ie., coaches, ball boys, etc.) all of which will be required to wear their team s official apparel and must present an official APDFL issued identification. All sideline personnel must be listed with their organizations roster and supplied to the league office no later than February 10, All additional sideline personnel will be required to pay $5.00 to receive a league issued sideline pass. Each team must submit their requests no later than February 10, All organizations should ensure that they have valid stadium insurance if required. Stadium insurance can be purchased at by utilizing the league name Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League, at a discounted rate or can be obtained through organizations own insurance company. Organizations representative should provide the league with proof of stadium insurance if required or provide in writing documentation indicating stadium is presently covered and this insurance is not necessary.

10 36. Each league member (player, coach and owner) should obtain a copy of the APDFL rules & regulations. It is the responsibility of each team owner/representative to ensure that their coaching staff, players and sideline personnel have obtained, understand and are in compliance with the rules stated above. 37. Each team is required to have an active and up to date running web page. This does not include the individual team s facebook page. The team web page must be up and running prior to February 10, 2017 and must be updated on a weekly basis. Any team not maintaining an active web page will be fined $50. Each team will be provided a free web page through the league site at: that should be maintained and will fulfill this obligation. 38. Any game called due to weather conditions will be regulated under the following conditions: if 50% (or more) of a game has been played, the team at that point will be deemed the winner and said game will be recorded as such. If less than 50% of said game has been played, the game will be rescheduled and continued where the initial game left off. If the rescheduled game is unable to take place and playoff standings are at risk, the team in which was winning at the time said game was called will be deemed the winner. 39. Any team requiring a forfeit loss during the regular season, without prior approval, will be deemed ineligible for post season play regardless of regular season record. No more than one forfeit win will be calculated in a team s regular season record. 40. All home teams will be required to ensure that at a minimum, 1 uniformed officer is present at all home games. 41. The visiting team will be required to complete and submit the game day checklist by 5pm on Sunday evening. Once again, on behalf of the APDFL Board of Directors I would like to personally welcome you to the premier Developmental Football League in the Country. We look forward to a very competitive Spring Season as we make our way towards the 2017 Presidential Championship Cup V and we thank you for being a part of this family. Thank you, Anastasia Dietze APDFL President Bernard Hunt APDFL Commissioner